WHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION AND WHY

DOES IT MATTER?GETTING SMART in partnership with eduInnovation & Teton Science Schools

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#PlaceBasedEd

“Learning & The Power of Place” is a year-long Place-Based Education

project with a blog series, social media campaign, podcasts and publications

to support implementation. For more information, see http://www.

gettingsmart.com/placebasededucation/. For all of the blogs in the series,

see http://gettingsmart.com/categories/place-based-education/

WHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION? ..................................................................................01

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PLACE-BASED EDUCATION? ................................. 04

WHAT DOES PLACE-BASED EDUCATION LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE? ................ 06

Place-Based Education in Practice .................................................................................................................................. 08

Experiential Learning ............................................................................................................................................... 08Learner-Centered Education ................................................................................................................................... 08Place-Based Schools ................................................................................................................................................ 08Deeper Learning ....................................................................................................................................................... 09Service Learning ....................................................................................................................................................... 09Project-Based Learning ............................................................................................................................................ 09Social & Emotional Learning ................................................................................................................................... 10Work-Based Learning .............................................................................................................................................. 10Civic Learning ........................................................................................................................................................... 11Environment as Integrating Context ....................................................................................................................... 11Informal Learning .................................................................................................................................................... 11Professional Learning .............................................................................................................................................. 12New Learning Models .............................................................................................................................................. 12

Where Is Place-Based Learning Possible? ...................................................................................................................... 13

Urban Settings ......................................................................................................................................................... 13Rural Areas ............................................................................................................................................................... 14Museums & The Arts .............................................................................................................................................. 14State & National Parks ............................................................................................................................................ 15Early Education ........................................................................................................................................................ 15Colleges & Universities ............................................................................................................................................ 15Community Spaces .................................................................................................................................................. 16International Implementation ................................................................................................................................. 16Virtual Experiences .................................................................................................................................................. 16

WHY DOES PLACE-BASED EDUCATION MATTER? ........................................................ 17

FOR MORE INFORMATION ............................................................................................................19

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................19

TABLE OF CONTENTS

We’ve all experienced the power of place:

those moments when we’re immersed deeply

in experiencing the world around us and what’s

happening there is real and meaningful. Learning in

these moments is organic and visceral. There’s much

to learn from the places we inhabit — from traveling

across the globe to getting out into our own

communities. Yet, formal learning experiences that

leverage the power of place remain the exception

and not the rule.

We hope to change that. Over the years, we’ve

visited and learned from hundreds of schools. We’ve

seen innovations in teaching and learning that feel

like a sneak peek into the future. And while we do

believe in the potential of technology to personalize

learning, we’ve discovered that technology is not

a prerequisite for personalization. In fact, many of

our favorite learning environments are innovating

through analog means or effectively using limited

but deliberate technology.

What are some common characteristics we’ve

noticed about educators in these high-impact

deeper learning models? They prioritize engagement

and authenticity. They know how to leverage local

assets including parks, public spaces, museums and

businesses to power partnerships. They get out

into the world for their students and for their own

learning. And whether they know it or not, they’re

living, breathing examples of Place-Based Education.

WHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION?

“This Place-Based Education approach

can serve as a framework to connect

learning models, increase the power of

our educational system and serve as the

foundation for a thriving democracy.”

- Nate McClennen, Place-Based Education: Communities as Learning Environments

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We set out to learn more about Place-Based Education and to share what we learned.

When we launched our research effort into Place-Based Education in July 2016, we began with acknowledgement of the field’s current

definition of place-based learning.

Place-Based Education (PBE) is an approach to learning that takes advantage of geography to create authentic, meaningful and engaging

personalized learning for students. More specifically, Place-Based Education is defined by the Center for Place-Based Learning and Community

Engagement as an immersive learning experience that “places students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences,

and uses these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum.”

Through our work in partnership with dozens of contributors to the campaign through guest blogs and social media, we arrived at a new

definition of Place-Based Education. The new definition situates Place-Based Education inside global conversations about innovative

instructional approaches that enable student agency, boost access and opportunity, prioritize deeper learning and personalize learning.

connects learning to communities and the world around us. PLACE-BASED EDUCATION (PBE)

Place-Based Education is anytime, anywhere learning that leverages the power of place, and not just the power of technology, to personalize learning.

Place-Based Education enables personalized learning by:

Giving students “voice and choice” in determining what,

how, when and where they learn

Tailoring learning to each student’s strengths, needs

and interests

Ensuring mastery of high academic

standards

Promoting student agency

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Scholar Gregory Smith traces the history of Place-Based Education from its roots before formal education through the progressive education movement to natural and environmental education, rural education and critical pedagogy in The Past, Present and Future of Place-Based Learning.

“Place- (and community-) based education is nothing new... its focus on the incorporation of local knowledge, skills and issues into the curriculum, involves an effort to restore learning experiences that were once the basis of children’s acculturation and socialization…. In this way, communities could ensure their own sustainability as generations passed on their expertise to young people drawn to continue this work….. Children growing up in pre-19th century America or Europe experienced much the same thing — learning the skills and crafts required of adulthood from their parents, other family members or people they apprenticed….. Much of this was lost as schools came to dominate the lives of young people with the passage of compulsory school attendance laws.”

Smith’s history lesson ends with a promising look at the future of Place-Based Education and its resurgence.

“The growing national interest in project-based learning coupled with the recognition that situating these projects in students’ home communities can deepen their meaning and impact suggests that interest in Place-Based Education could continue to expand in coming decades. As a means to engender among students a sense of affiliation with their home communities and regions, develop problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate with others, cultivate a sense of responsibility for the natural environment and the people it supports, and instill a recognition of their own capacity to be positive change-makers and leaders, Place-Based Education is proving to be an effective antidote to apathy and alienation….. The environmental and social challenges likely to arise in coming decades will require many people with the kinds of attributes associated with the experience of Place-Based Education.”

THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF PLACE-BASED LEARNINGGregory Smith

To truly understand

the “power of place,”

Carri Schneider

shared the voices of

students, teachers

and leaders in this

podcast recorded

during her trip to

Teton Science Schools.

Ready to experience

Place-Based

Learning? Close your

eyes and listen to this

“audio field trip” to TSS.

Getting Smart

Podcast. S2:E16

“Experiencing Place-

Based Education

at Teton Science

Schools.” November

28, 2016.

https://soundcloud.com/getting-smart/experiencing-place-based-

education-at-teton-science-schools

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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PLACE-BASED EDUCATION?

As ecosystems of learning emerge, Place-

Based Education sits squarely in the

middle of formal and informal education

partners, serving as the philosophical

connector to all potential learning

experiences. Place-Based Education can

take many forms ranging from informal

to formal learning, from out-of-school

individual/family experiences to teacher-

led or school-sponsored activities and

from one lesson/project/unit/course to

a school fully-designed around a Place-

Based Education mission. Place-Based

Education is a learning strategy that

educators can implement in urban, rural

and suburban areas. The opportunities

are truly endless.”

-Tom Vander Ark, Genius Loci: Place-Based Education & Why It Matters

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GOALS OF PLACE-BASED

EDUCATION

Increase student and

teacher engagement

Boost academic outcomes

Impact communities

Place-Based Education is an approach that connects learning and communities with the primary goals of increasing student engagement,

boosting academic outcomes, impacting communities and promoting understanding of the world around us. In addition to these

goals, there are many additional benefits to place-based learning experiences. These benefits can impact students, teachers, families,

communities and society.

BENEFITS OF PLACE-BASED

EDUCATION

Learning is grounded

in local communities and contexts.

The learning experience is

student-centered and personalized. Learning is

relevant and engaging.

Students can be challenged to see the world through

ecological, political, economic and social lenses.

Students can have more agency and autonomy —

boosting motivation and

persistence.

Social-emotional learning can be a priority.

Instruction can be

interdisciplinary.

Lessons can be

inquiry-based.

Students can meet deeper

learning outcomes.

Students can gain better

appreciation and

understanding of the world

around them.

Design-thinking can be

encouraged. WH

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WHAT DOES PLACE-BASED EDUCATION LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE?

“Next-gen learning” is a phrase used to describe the

“next generation of education” in which the current

system oriented around adults is replaced with a

system oriented around the needs of learners.

Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) was founded in 2010 based on the belief that “the experience of students in our schools needs to be more about learning and less about teaching. We all know from learning science and our own experience how powerful experiential, purpose-driven, and authentic learning can be, and yet our schools are not organized around what we know about good learning.”

NGLC defines “next-gen” learning from a learner’s perspective. A student may describe it in this way. Learning is...• Personalized to the ways I learn

best• Flexible so that I can try different

ways to learn• Interactive and engaging so that I

participate in the learning• Relevant to the life I’d like to lead• Organized around my own

progress against goals I understand

As we approach the era of next-gen learning and the possibility of place-based learning at the center, it is important to consider that Place-

Based Education can be implemented along a continuum. Through inquiry, projects and problems, entrepreneurship, community-centered

design and service learning, Place-Based Education offers relevance to students and teachers, infinite pathways to personalization and tools

for students to experience agency and a sense of ownership for community sustainability and improvement.

Understanding place begins with understanding self — your role in the community. Definitions of place then expand like concentric rings to

classrooms, schools, communities, regions, nations and the world. By adhering to this concentric-rings model, learners see relevance as the

• Constantly informed by different ways of demonstrating and measuring my progress

• Collaborative with teachers and peers, unlimited by proximity

• Agile and supportive when I need extra help

• Challenging but achievable, with opportunities to become expert in an area of interest

• Available to me as much as it is to every other student

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scale moves farther and farther “out.” As place can be interpreted through economic, socio-political, and ecological lenses, so too can the

scale be interpreted through these lenses — allowing for deeper transfer, application and understanding of content and skills.

As we begin to reimagine the possibilities of next-gen learning, virtual places can play a role in a student’s understanding and impact in

place. The social networks they maintain, the people they follow, and the organizations that they like all connect their local physical places

to global digital places. These connections, when used to revitalize and enrich local places, can be beneficial. This is an exciting area that

needs further exploration.

The examples over the next several pages capture the diversity of Place-Base Education approaches across rural, urban, suburban areas;

in early education, K12 education and higher education; in formal and informal settings; from single lessons to full programs. The next two

publications in this series are “quick start implementation guides” that will describe in detail the myriad ways educators can put Place-

Based Education into practice — from simple entry points like classroom speakers and field trips to “inside-out” implementation where the

entire curriculum is place-based.

DESIGN THINKING

Design thinking provides a systematic approach for students

to make meaningful impact in communities through the curriculum.

Local learning serves as a model for understanding

global challenges, opportunities and

connections.

LOCAL TO GLOBAL CONTEXT

Communities serve as learning ecosystems for schools where

local and regional experts, experiences and places are

part of the expanded definition of a classroom.

COMMUNITY AS CLASSROOM

Learning is personally relevant

to students and enables student

agency.

LEARNER-CENTERED

The curriculum matches the real world where the traditional subject area content,

skills and dispositions are taught through an integrated, interdisciplinary and frequently project-based approach where all learners

are accountable and challenged.

INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

INQUIRY-BASEDLearning is grounded in observing, asking relevant questions, making predictions, and collecting data to

understand the economic, ecological, and socio-political world.

This working set of place-based learning design principles from Teton Science Schools can inform the development of place-based learning in any setting.

PLACE-BASED EDUCATION

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

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Place-based schools integrate many elements of learner-centered,

experiential, deeper learning and project-based schools to leverage local

places as a learning ecosystem for students. Through this approach, students

develop an understanding of communities and their role in impacting and

improving local places.

● Teton Science Schools is a 50-year-old nonprofit organization in

northwest Wyoming and eastern Idaho with Place-Based Education as a

core mission. The TSS approach is community-connected, partnership-

focused, inquiry and design-based, student-centered and interdisciplinary.

See Communities As Learning Environments, PhotoBlog | Teton Science

Schools & The Power of Place-Based Learning and Podcast | Experiencing

Place-Based Education at Teton Science Schools for more information.

The learner-centered paradigm for education functions

like a pair of lenses that offers a new way to look at, think

about, talk about and act on education. It constitutes a

shift of perspective that places every learner at its center,

structures the system to build appropriate supports around

him or her, and acknowledges the need to adapt and alter

to meet the needs of all children.

● Education Reimagined is identifying “learner-centered

pioneers” who are leading a national shift to schools

that are learner-centered. Avalon Charter School

and EPiC Elementary are two that utilize place-based

learning through what Education Reimagined refers to

as “open-walled” approaches.

● Harmony Public Schools in Texas serve over 30,000

students with a Learner-Centered STEM model that

creates opportunities for students to learn through

powerful partnerships with the community, business

and industry.

Viewed as authentic or real-world learning, problem-based

learning (PBL) and experiential learning are used in next-gen

learning environments to help students apply the core

content they acquire. Through curriculum built on inquiry,

project-based learning, internships, service-learning, and

entrepreneurial innovation, students directly witness the

relevance of academic content and simultaneously develop

their skills in critical thinking, communication, collaboration

and creativity.

● Expeditionary Learning Schools link learning to real-

world issues, students engage in projects that yield

solutions for audiences beyond the classroom — “real

work for real audiences.” (See feature on Casco Bay

High School in Maine and the first EL charter in NYC).

● Victoria Ryberg shares several examples and videos

of experiential, place-based learning from the Green

Schools Network in Wisconsin. She describes how

place-based opportunities boost autonomy, mastery

and purpose — necessities for motivation.

PLACE-BASED EDUCATION IN PRACTICEWith next-gen tools and learner-

centered approaches, Place-Based

Education can sit at the heart

of 360° educational ecosystems

where learning is seamlessly

integrated within community

functions, serving as a rich

foundation for an informed and

participatory democratic society.

The descriptions and examples that

follow illustrate how many learning

models can be facilitated through,

paired with or complemented by

Place-Based Education.

PLACE-BASED SCHOOLS

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING LEARNER-CENTERED EDUCATION

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In classrooms where deeper learning is the focus, you find

students who are motivated and challenged—who look

forward to their next assignment. They apply what they

have learned in one subject area to newly encountered

situations in another. They can see how their classwork

relates to real life. They are gaining an indispensable set

of knowledge, skills, and beliefs, including mastery of core

academic content, critical thinking and problem solving,

collaboration, effective communication, self-directed

learning, and an academic mindset.

● The Environmental Charter School (ECS) in Pittsburgh

promotes deeper learning with powerful questions

and applied learning–often in 561 acre Frick Park next

door. ECS believes that connecting student learning

to an authentic, place-based experience sets the

stage for deeper student learning – which means they

are using their knowledge and skills from multiple

disciplines in a way that prepares them for real life.

Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and

reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities. It is often structured

by the needs of adults in the community who leverage young people’s time and talent to support a solution. Most public

and private high schools have a service learning component. Additionally, there are many nonprofit orgs that provide

resources and structures to facilitate these activities.

● Connects Learning Center (CLC) is a next-gen learning environment supporting four districts in Wisconsin. Students

are required to volunteer and give back to the community in partnership with community organizations.

● Many schools require service learning. In Seattle Public Schools, students must complete 60 hours of service-

learning to graduate. Since 1998, Chicago Public Schools has required that graduate complete 40 hours. These

types of requirements are a good entry point for a more developed place-based, service learning approach that is

meaningfully integrated within the community.

Project Based Learning is a teaching method

in which students gain knowledge and skills

by working for an extended period of time to

investigate and respond to an engaging and

complex question, problem, or challenge.

● The 180+ New Tech Network (NTN) schools

share a project-based approach that

often leverages local assets and business

partnerships. In Project-Based and Place-

Based Learning, NTN’s Director of School

Leadership explains that “students and

educators are often engaged in project-based

and place-based learning experiences that

leverage partnerships and community assets

to make learning authentic and meaningful.”

She provides two of countless examples —

one that marries world history and world

leadership standards with a real-world

challenge and a longstanding internship

program with a dedicated community partner.

DEEPER LEARNING

SERVICE LEARNING

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

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Many schools are beginning to integrate students into the workplace to understand how school learning is connected

to real-world learning. We believe students should graduate high school with a host of work-based experiences such

as job shadows, internships and apprenticeships. These opportunities allow students to experience jobs and career

opportunities to varying degrees and scales. Partnerships with companies and nonprofit organizations help facilitate

this process.

● CareerWise Colorado and Denver Public School’s CareerConnect are two promising examples of deliberate

approaches to work-based learning. The goal for CareerWise is to create over 20,000 apprenticeships for high

school students in high-demand occupations over the next ten years.

● Ohio Career Exploration Internship Program offers at least 20 weeks and 200 hours of career exploration to

students 16 to 18 years old or enrolled in Ohio high school grades 11 or 12. Businesses are reimbursed for 50

percent of the intern’s wages.

● The Idaho P-Tech network is 17 rural high schools creating business partnerships for career pathways.

● Big Picture Learning schools build internships around student interests as a key part of their personalized, project-

based learning model. For more on Big Picture Learning, listen to the the podcast interview Big Picture Learning in

the Real World and read the blog from students Iris and Kemberly at Highline Big Picture who describe 10 Big Ideas

We Are Learning Through Our High School Internships.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the

knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and

show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions. Place-Based

Education can inform and enhance social emotional learning.

● Educator Gillian Judson explains the importance of relationships in Place-Based Education: “If we hope to cultivate

students’ ecological understanding — an awareness of the interconnectedness of all things and a sense of care/

concern for the natural world — then relationships between students and the natural world, and between students’

and the knowledge of the curriculum, must be emotionally and imaginatively rich.”

● Former teacher Jennifer Pieratt explains that place-based learning helps students to challenge assumptions and

develop empathy: “[S]tudents began to see that their assumptions were often incorrect and, more importantly, they

began to question those assumptions — where they came from and how they came to be. The takeaway to these

interactions was always the same: students realized that we humans have more in common than we don’t.”

WORK-BASED LEARNING

SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING

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Civic learning encourages students to become active

citizens by engaging them with issues in their communities

and beyond.

● Earth Force believes that developing a deep sense

of place in young people leads to a citizenry that is

prepared and willing to contribute to communities for a

lifetime. In the blog Developing a Sense of Place Means

a Deeper Connection to Learning, Kristen Mueller-Sims

explains that Earth Force’s focus on civic engagement

“helps learners to become active participants in their

communities by conducting balanced research, building

strong community partnerships and making decisions

as a democratic group.”

● At Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy

in Washington, D.C., students participate in three-

week long policy internships. Senior projects involve a

thesis paper and presentation on a public policy issue

of interest. The school culture is based on citizenship,

honesty, achievement, valor, engagement and zest

(CHAVEZ). An example of a Chavez student’s agency is

Cedric “Remedy” Harper’s performance of an original

poem at semi-finals for the 2015 D.C. Youth Slam Team

at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

Informal learning is “anytime, anywhere” learning that

happens outside of formal requirements for school,

jobs, certification, etc. Informal learning is often driven

by our own interests and happens in the context of our

normal, everyday lives — making it a perfect match for

place-based learning.

● In Parenting, Learning and the Power of Place,

Carri Schneider shares how her family vacation

to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

revealed powerful lessons in academics and social-

emotional learning.

● Liz Wimmer believes that place-based discoveries

“etch learning into your brain” and encourages us

all to “Think about your life for a moment” and ask

“What are your favorite places and what are they

teaching you?”

● Worldschooler Connect is a way for families traveling

all over the world to connect with one another. In

Connecting Families Traveling the World’s Classroom,

father CJ Singer explains, “Worldschooling our kids

has been the most rewarding, educational and

downright coolest decision we have ever made.

We’ve learned that everything we do and see in life

is a learning experience.”

CIVIC LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT AS INTEGRATING CONTEXT

INFORMAL LEARNING

Developed out of the environmental education movement, Environment as Integrating Context (EIC) is about using a

school’s surroundings and community as a framework within which students can construct their own learning, guided by

teachers and administrators using proven educational practices.

● Using the EIC approach, GreenWoods Charter School in Philadelphia improved student outcomes and made

strides toward closing the achievement gap. They have two goals: achieving academic excellence and developing

environmental stewards. The successful program has served as the basis for others across Pennsylvania.

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Professional learning, or professional development, is comprised of the activities and experiences that

educators participate in to improve their practice, strengthen or expand their knowledge base and grow as

professionals. Place-based professional development can be a very powerful way for educators to learn. The

third guide in this series will focus on the implementation of place-based professional learning.

● Teacher Helen Ommen shares her reflection in The Power of Place-Based Professional Learning. She

enthusiastically explains, “I felt validated, reinvigorated and challenged in both my teaching and my life.... I

can’t wait to see what seeds are planted in their little hearts, as well as ideas that come to my mind that I

can implement into my teaching in the future.”

● Julia McBride describes place-based professional learning in the New Tech Network. “The goal,” she

explains, “is to create the conditions for school and district leaders to reflect upon and learn to grow

their schools as learning organizations in collaboration with Network peers while capitalizing on the

local landscape as a learning opportunity. This includes “Excursions” to explore local community-school

partnerships, case studies of nearby Network schools and connections with fellow deeper learning

Network peers.”

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

NEW LEARNING MODELSA number of new learning models are gaining traction in classrooms and communities across the globe. For

example, Competency Based Learning transitions away from seat time, in favor of a structure that allows

students to progress as they demonstrate mastery of academic content. Competency-based strategies provide

flexibility in the way that credit can be earned or awarded. Blended learning leverages technology to afford

each student a more personalized learning experience, including increased student control over the time, place,

path and/or pace of learning. We’re motivated and encouraged by the myriad possibilities for the deliberate

integration of place-based learning with these new learning models from Teton Science Schools and others.W

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● Supported by Global Learning Models, the GCE Lab School in Chicago leverages relationships

with more than 200 partners to “make the entire city a fertile learning environment” through its

City2ClassroomTM program. Read more about the Global Learning Models in Preparing #LifeReady

Students: Creating Globally-Sourced, Locally Relevant Curriculum.

● Metro Charter Elementary in rapidly developing downtown LA leverages neighborhood resources

– parks, cultural centers, businesses and rich historical sites – to provide meaningful learning

opportunities and enhance the experiences for diverse students. Kids take public transit for field trips

and visit places like City Hall and Disney Concert Hall.

● Horace Mann Elementary in Washington DC has food gardens and university partnerships. The

entryway includes a garden wall with art that spells out values evident in every room of Horace Mann:

adventure, discovery, inspiration and imagination. (Listen to the podcast about their design principles.)

● One urban school district now has three high schools that partner with community organizations:

Tacoma School of the Arts, the Science and Math Institute and School of Industrial Design, Engineering

and Art. At these schools in Washington’s Tacoma School District, students use community resources

to explore their passions.

● In Putting the City at the Heart of Place-Based Education, author Daniel Rabuzzi describes how “place”

can be different cities or neighborhoods, street corners, ball courts, barber shops, bus stop and

parades. Nature too can play a role in urban places, he says, describing the community garden or river

winding through the city.

● An orchard was the result of a brainstorm by five middle school students in Kansas City, Kansas, about

a change they wanted to see in their school and community. With the help of a local organization

called The Giving Grove, this idea of providing healthy produce spread to five other area schools who

joined in planting trees that are expected to give 25,000 pounds of fruit annually.

WHERE IS PLACE-BASED LEARNING POSSIBLE?Place-based learning can truly happen anytime, anywhere — in cities, in parks, in your hometown, on a field trip, in a rural village, in your

backyard, in your school. Although this list is by no means exhaustive, it captures the range of possibilities and shows that Place-Based

Education is a possibility everywhere.

URBAN SETTINGS

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● The Rural Schools Collaborative believes in the power of partnerships and Place-Based Education as a way

to strengthen the bond between school and community. They highlight a number of exemplary efforts on

rural, place-based learning and provide useful research and resources for educators and communities.

● Giving back to communities helps increase student motivation. Highland Community School District in rural

southwestern Wisconsin revamped its structure and curriculum to focus on environmental place-based

learning that supports community life. At Northern Waters Environmental School, middle and high school

students work with community partners to solve local challenges.

● Students will go to school on a barge at New Harmony High in Venice, Louisiana. When the school opens in

2018, students will be able to explore their passions, their community and the world with an emphasis on a

key issue for the region: coastal restoration.

● Author Anna Luhrmann tells her story of loving Place-Based Education in the natural world of Grand Teton

National Park. When she had to leave to finish her studies, she found that the town of Laramie, Wyoming,

had a lot to offer place-based learners. She adopted the motto Every Place is Special or No Place is Special.

● At the New York Hall of Science, students and families design, make and play with technology and other

tools and materials. One set of apps called Noticing Tools helps users notice the math and science around

them and opportunities to reshape and remake the world.

● Local museums and theaters are some of the places that help students stay engaged and build civic pride

at Capital Community College in Hartford, Connecticut. When students come Out of the Classroom, Off the

Campus and into the Community, they can connect with their community in meaningful ways.

● The museum is the school at Michigan’s Grand Rapids Public Museum School.

● E3 Civic High School is housed in the spectacular new San Diego library.

● Tacoma School of the Arts has active relationships with each of the museums in downtown Tacoma. They

are teaching classes at Tacoma Art Museum and the LeMay Car Museum. This year a full-time arts liaison

will strengthen relationships between the city, museums and the school.

● Houston A+ UP was launched three years ago as a small pilot middle school and will expand as a charter

network this fall. Every week, A+UP students ride public transit to visit an amazing network of museum and

community partners (see feature).

● Led by former school superintendent Donna Deeds, The Museum at Prairiefire partners with Kansas City

schools to bring natural history to life. Listen to a podcast where Deeds describes this regional place-based

learning gem and CAPS (see feature), the work-based initiative she created before joining the museum.

RURAL AREAS

MUSEUMS & THE ARTS

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● National parks are currently America’s Best

Idea and America’s Best Classroom. They

can be an exciting place for students to

learn science, and field trips to them often

fuel a lasting connection to the outdoors.

● In 6 Reasons to Work in America’s Parks

and Forests, Bonnie Lathram and Andrew

Frishman tout the benefits of working

in national parks and forests. Their ideas

range from learning “about self” to learning

“under duress.”

● A city park plays a central role in Highline

School District’s Marine Science Technology

program. Housed at the Puget Sound Skills

Center in the park, students use the location

to learn marine science and skills.

● Eagle Rock is a great small high school

in Estes Park, Colorado, that takes full

advantage of Rocky Mountain National Park.

● Students at Humboldt State University in California are

using the nearby Klamath River as a focal point for A

Science Program that Goes Beyond the Lab. The aim

of the Klamath Connection is to boost the success of

science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)

majors by connecting science, communities and

cultural perspectives.

● As director of the Hartford Heritage Project at Capital

Community College in Hartford, Connecticut, Jeffrey

Partridge has spent time researching Place-Based

Education. One result of his work is Resources and

Quotes on the Power of Place, which is a portal to

resources for others starting Place-Based Education at

the college level.

● Some higher education institutions are succeeding at

making Place-Based Education central to their identity.

Higher Ed Approaches to Empowering Students shares

the stories of Guttman Community College in New

York City, Temple University in Philadelphia and Capital

Community College in Hartford, Connecticut.

STATE & NATIONAL PARKS

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

● There are at least a dozen preschool programs in the Seattle area that have an outdoor focus. Preschoolers

at Fiddleheads Forest School at Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum are outdoors for every minute of

their four-hour school day. The outdoor nature-based program focuses on play and exploration. As children

engage with the world around them the staff supplements with curriculum to engage their curiosity.

● Another preschool embracing outdoor education is the subject of a blog and podcast: Outdoor Learning

Leads to Curious Students. Riverside Nature School in Charles Town, West Virginia, is a nature-based

program inspired by German Waldkindergarten schools.

EARLY EDUCATION

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● The Maritime Discovery Schools is a districtwide

place-based initiative in Port Townsend,

Washington.

● The School of Environmental Studies, or “Zoo

School,” is on the grounds of the Minnesota Zoo

and embraces project-based learning with an

environmental theme — a partnership between

the city, the school district and zoo. In addition to

studies at the zoo, SES students take excursions

around the world “to immerse students in new

climates, cultures and environmental issues.”

● Science and Math Institute at Point Defiance Zoo

in Tacoma partners with “community resources to

change public education, emphasizing creativity

and utilizing a fully inclusive model that educates

the whole student through shared values of

community, empathy, thinking, and balance.”

● Students at Winton Woods New Tech

Network High School near Cincinnati

created virtual reality WWI museum

exhibits to immerse other students and

teachers in the sights and sounds of war.

● Educators can Design Interactive Place-

Based Learning with Virtual Reality using

ThingLink. Students can also tell digital

stories about places with ThingLink’s

interactive image editor.

● Students at Parklands College in South

Africa used a reality creation tool called

CoSpaces to design a hypothetical eco-

city. They based their virtual eco-cities on

an area of Cape Town formerly known as

District Six, designing an urban area with a

focus on sustainability and food security.

COMMUNITY SPACES

VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES

● La Paz Community School in Costa Rica is an incubator for effective Place-Based Education strategies that

promote cross-cultural competence in multilingual and multinational environments. The professional learning

community at La Paz commits to focusing on the people and place to create meaningful learning experiences.

● In the Kingdom of Bhutan, in the Himalayas between India and China, place-based learning with an emphasis on

well-being and community health is growing. Teton Science Schools partners with the Royal Education Council,

the Ministry of Education, and the Royal University of Bhutan to expand Place-Based Education there.

● Another preschool embracing outdoor education is the subject of a blog and podcast: Outdoor Learning Leads

to Curious Students. Riverside Nature School in Charles Town, West Virginia, is a nature-based program inspired

by German Waldkindergarten schools.

INTERNATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION

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WHY DOES PLACE-BASED EDUCATION MATTER?

“Instead of asking students to wait

for 20 years to really understand

the ‘why’ behind school, students

should spend twenty years

as integral and participatory

members of learning

communities. Imagine a world

with Place-Based Education

for every child — connecting

learning locally, regionally, and

ultimately, globally. With multiple

opportunities to interact with

professionals, design solutions

to real challenges, and skills to

understand the world through

multiple lenses, these students

are the citizens the world needs

for tomorrow.” -Nate McClennen, Place-Based Education:

Communities As Learning Environments

It’s never been easier to learn anything — anytime and anywhere.

For the first time in human history, we have the tools available to

provide access to powerful learning experiences to every person

on the planet. It’s not unusual to hear the phrase “anytime,

anywhere learning” applied to everything from early childhood

education, K-12 and higher education to informal learning, adult

education, career training and professional development, etc. Yet,

the definition of “anytime, anywhere” learning is often reduced

to mean “anywhere you can get a wifi signal.” While technology

continues to act as a powerful enabler of access, this limited

tech-centric view of “anytime, anywhere” learning fails to fully

acknowledge its potential. The challenges of the modern world

will not be addressed by technology alone.

Photo Credit: Tony Bacewicz in Out of the Classroom, Off the Campus and Into the Community by Jeffrey Partridge W

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We need learners who graduate with deeper learning outcomes that include and extend beyond content knowledge. We must transform

the system to fully integrate schools and communities that leverage the “power of place” to equip students with the tools and skills they

need — through authentic experiences — to collaborate, think critically and solve complex challenges. This is an absolute requirement as

we build a modern workforce equipped to thrive in the “gig economy.” We need young people who are invested in their communities and

cities to boost both education and employment.

With the emergence of project-based and personalized learning as the next step in school transformation, the time is right to take these

approaches one step further by focusing the project and personalized learning on locally, regionally and globally relevant projects. With the

increase in student agency, the students gain experience in the application of knowledge, and the community gains a massive resource in

the human capital of willing and eager students wanting to improve the long-term health and well-being of the community.

Our exploration into Place-Based Education has revealed that teachers and communities are creating place-based opportunities for

students in many different settings. Place-based learning is truly possible anywhere — from the most rural schools to the most urban ones

and everywhere in between. We are just beginning to understand the possibilities for implementing and scaling place-based learning with

the deliberate intention to boost equity, access and outcomes.

As we included in the Smart Cities book: “Learning is best formula for promoting economic growth and reducing the crippling effects of

poverty…. Schools can serve as the foundation for highly functioning democratic and sustainable communities and societies.”

We believe Place-Based Education offers a path to achieving this goal and invite educators to learn more about Place-Based Education and

how they can implement it in their schools, districts and programs.

PLACE-BASED EDUCATION

POWERFUL, PERSONALIZED NEW LEARNING MODELS

HIGHLY-FUNCTIONING DEMOCRACY OF

INFORMED, ENGAGED CITIZENS

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This overview is the first in a three-part publication series from Getting

Smart. For additional publications in the series, including “Quick Start

Guide to Implementing Place-Based Education” and “Quick Start Guide to

Place-Based Professional Learning,” see http://www.gettingsmart.com/

placebasededucation. For a collection of all of the contributions to the

“Learning & The Power of Place” campaign from educators all over the world,

see http://www.gettingsmart.com/categories/series/place-based-education/

Check out the hundreds of examples of Place-Based Education in action and

share your own using #PlaceBasedEd on social media.

Getting Smart and Teton Science Schools would like to thank the students, teachers,

leaders, professors, experts, parents and others who generously shared their time and

talent with us through the “Learning & The Power of Place” campaign.

We are grateful for your openness and willingness to share your stories, your insights

and your examples to help us reach our goal of raising awareness to the potential of

Place-Based Education.

All images taken by Getting Smart staff unless otherwise noted.

This publication was made possible in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of

New York. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of

the author.

“Learning and the Power of Place” campaign is produced and published with the

support of Carri Schneider, Tom Vander Ark, Nate McClennen, Liz Wimmer, Erik Day,

Kelley Tanner and Geoff Pope and other members of the Getting Smart, eduInnovation

and Teton Science Schools teams.

Photo Credit: Daniel Rabuzzi, Putting the City At The Heart of Learning

Photo Credit: Roberta McFarland, Learning Leadership Skills Outdoors: Place-Based Ed in the Puget Sound

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